Dismantled by the Dolphins
by psav2005
Summary: Daily Stingray newspaper article after Vince Blake's suspension from school and the state football championship game. April's Zoey 101 Fan Challenge at LJ


A/N: This is my entry for the April Zoey 101 Fan Challenge at LJ. I own nothing

**Dismantled by the Dolphins  
**Without Blake, others, Stingrays fall in state championship game 56-10

By Phil Savitt  
Sports Editor, Daily Stingray

The dream season for the PCA football team ended this past weekend with a thud, ending a hectic week, one of the worst in program history.

Without star quarterback Vince Blake, kicked off the team and suspended indefinitely from PCA due to cheating, many other key players, who were involved it a fight because Blake was turned in for cheating, suspended as well, and two other players out due to injury trying to protect their friend in that fight, the PCA Stingrays were crushed by the Dolphins of Bay City Academy out of San Diego 56-10 Saturday afternoon at the California Academy Football State Championship Game held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

"Our kids, most of which are starters, made stupid mistakes earlier in the week that prevented them from playing in this game. We had to start kids, that while talented, who were inexperienced at playing at such a high level and that killed us from the beginning," said head football coach Ron Thompson.

The week started with junior Chase Matthews catching Vince Blake taking pictures of the answers to a test they were scheduled to have later in the week. Matthews turned Blake in; Blake was kicked off the team and suspended from school. Angry teammates of Blake's then got into a fight with Matthews and fellow juniors Mark Del Figgalo, Michael Barrett, and Logan Reese, the latter two also being football players who started on both offense and defense for the Stingrays. In all twenty two Stingrays were out for the game, Barrett and Reese due to their injuries, and twenty others who started the fight with Matthews, Del Figgalo, Barrett, and Reese.

With Blake, Barrett, the teams best running back, Reese, the teams best wide receiver, two other starting wide receivers, and four of the five starting offensive linemen out for this game, it was a long day for freshmen quarterback Steve Belfour. While Belfour had done an excellent job for the reserve football team, starting his first game for the varsity team on this stage was just asking too much. Belfour was only ten of thirty one passing for one hundred forty four yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, and two fumbles. The touchdown came late in the game when the Dolphins had their backups in. Without a lot of its regular starters and its stars quarterback the offense could get nothing going.

Meanwhile on defense out were three of the four starting defensive linemen, two of the starting linebackers, one being Barrett, and two of the four defensive backs, one being Reese. The Dolphin offense would march up and down the field on the depleted Stingray defense. Dolphins starting quarterback John Randall was twenty of twenty five passing for three hundred and seventy five yards and five touchdowns, in the first half as the Dolphins took a 42-0 halftime lead. Randall would finish the day thirty of forty for four hundred sixty three and seven touchdowns, leaving the game after his seventh touchdown that made the game 56-0 in favor of the Dolphins. On their first drive without Randall in the game, Dolphins backup quarterback Sid Mussing threw an interception that lead to PCA's only touchdown. The Stingrays would also add a field goal late in the game.

The crushing defeat put an end to what was the greatest football season in the history of Pacific Coast Academy. The Stingrays completed the second ever undefeated season in school history, the other being in 1975. The Stingrays also won their third ever conference regular season championship, the other two coming last season and in 75. PCA made it to the state championship game for the first time ever in school history, a year after winning its first ever playoff game in school history. While undefeated in the regular season in 1975 the Stingrays were upset in the first round of the state playoffs. Last season was the break out year for Vince Blake as the team returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, winning in the first two rounds before falling in the regional championship game to archrival Reefside Academy in triple overtime.

While this dream season ended on a sour note next season may be even better. Of the twenty players suspended for the championship game only three were seniors, and barring anymore trouble all seventeen will return to the team after serving the remainder of their suspensions during the first game of regular season next year. In total the team only loses eight seniors, with only four of them being starters. Both Barrett and Reese will return to the team, and Belfour, who showed glimpses of greatness with the reverse team as a freshman, will have a whole offseason of working with the first team offense under his belt. The main question going into next season is a simple yet huge one, will Vince Blake return?


End file.
